Netting a piece of the NBA: Joseph Tsai, vice chairman of Chinese internet conglomerate Alibaba, has struck a deal to buy a 49 percent stake in the Brooklyn Nets NBA team.

Texans owner walks back remarks: The owner of Houston’s NFL team apologized for comparing players to “inmates” as he discussed protests staged during the national anthem ahead of games. An article in ESPN The Magazine, posted online on Friday, quoted Bob McNair as saying in a meeting, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison.”

Passing the torch: The Olympic torch was ignited this week in Greece, kicking off the countdown to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, which begin February 9. The torch is due to arrive in South Korea on November 1 for the start of the domestic torch relay.